First Impressions: Sweetness and Lightning

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner already. The most beautiful, cute and touching anime of the season is Sweetness and Lightning (Amaama to Inazuma). IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE!

First impressions: Love Live! Sunshine!!

Yes. This season I'll be watching Love Live Sunshine. I never watched Love Live or any idol anime before, with the exception of a couple episodes of The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. And when I decided to watch it, they announced this new installment so I changed my plans and opted for this one instead.

First Impressions: ReLIFE

This anime didn't caught my attention before the season started. I didn't even add it as plan-to-watch to check it later. Mostly because for some dumb reason I thought it won't be for me, or that it won't be good, and didn't bother to even watch the trailer. But I was wrong, apparently.

Boku no Hero Academia Review

Spring season is over, and it's time to comment the ones that I enjoyed the most. First of all, Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia), one of the most hyped anime of this season.

Summer 2016 Anime

Spring season is approaching its end, and now it's time to talk about what I plan to watch, or more like 'give it a shot' list, next season. I don't want to watch much anime of the season, because there'll be some leftovers, and I still have a lot of anime from past seasons to watch. After all, I'm preferring to watch already completed, blu-ray version, anime. The full list of the season can be found at MyAnimeList.

Below you can check the anime that I'm sure to watch, and also the ones that I have high expectations. In another post, I'll list other interesting anime that I'll try. Stay tuned.

Sure to Watch

Shokugeki no Souma: Ni no Sara - MAL

I really loved Shokugeki no Soma, and I was avid to watch more of it. If you didn't watch it, DO IT! The first few episodes have a lot of fanservice, but it fades along the series.

Nanatsu no Taizai: Seisen no Shirushi - MAL

Another anime that I loved! I finished it last week, ad I'm totally going to watch the continuation.

High Expectations

Battery - MAL

It's been a log time since I watched a sports anime. Plus, I wanted to watch Diamond no Ace, or ani other baseball anime, but they're too long. This one seems good, and not focused on giving 'fangirl moments' with episodes filled with ships. THANK YOU ZEUS!

Love Live! Sunshine!! - MAL

I was planning on FINALLY watching Love Live. My concern was the sheer amount of episodes. Seems like this one is a brand new series.

Amaama to Inazuma - MAL

I'm always in need of another cute and cozy slice-of-life anime. This one seems to do the job :)

Spring Anime 2016 - First Impressions

It's time for another first impressions post, with my reviews about Spring 2016 anime that I watched. Between brackets is the number of episodes I've watched so far / Total.

Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta?

First impressions: Rokka no Yuusha

Here are my first impressions of Rokka no Yuusha (Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers), after watching the first episode: The Strongest Man in the World.

When the Demon God awakes from the depths of darkness, the Goddess of Fate selects six heroes and bequeaths them with the power to save the world. Adlet, a boy who proclaims himself the strongest man in the world, has been selected among "The Heroes of the Six Flowers." However, as the heroes gather, they soon begin to suspect that someone amongst them is an imposter, as this time, there are seven of them.

Top Anime - Week 8 2016

After we got through the mid-season, I decided to check which anime are considered to be the top ones (Winter 2016 only). Along with the list, I'll leave my comments about (almost) each one.

Anime Winter 2016: First Impressions (Part 1)

Now that I have watched enough episodes of the season's anime, I'll leave my impressions below.

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Ep. 5 - The Pirate

Two new characters are added to Haku's party, and the harem is growing stronger.

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Ep. 4 - The Imperial Capital

Now, the party arrives at the capital while we watch bath scenes and get some character development, but not much plot.

Sakurako-san Ep. 3 - The Bones that Slumber in Sum

They say that "third time's the charm", but is it?

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Ep. 3 - The Road to the Capital

Now, Kuon (a.k.a Best Girl) finally has some competition. Let the games begin! ʕง•ᴥ•ʔง

One-Punch Man Ep. 3 - The Obsessive Scientist

Now, we finally got to discover the secret of Saitama's power, and the biggest villain of the show. Or not.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sakurako-san Ep. 2 - Where Do You Live?

Another episode, another case for Sakurako-san. As usual with detective dramas on TV, seems that this show will be following an episodic approach, with a new case each week. For now, we didn't see any clue about a major story arch here (or did we?).

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Ep. 2 - The Righteous Man

The first episode of Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen was gorgeous and cute. And on the second episode, we got to see some action and know more about the world.

One-Punch Man Ep. 2 - The Lone Cyborg

The first episode of One-Punch Man was impressive, with a premise based on the exaggeration we often see in anime about fights. The hero needs to be not just the strongest. He needs to define a whole new level of badassery.

SPOILERS

On the first half of this episode, a swarm of mosquitoes led by a giant mosquito-girl attacks the city. She uses the blood drained by them to get stronger and evolve. There was a little fanservice here, but nothing to worry about.

I liked the gag that Saitama can't kill a single mosquito, getting angrier each time he tries. His face was priceless, and the 'fight' was great. Also, I liked that Genos (the cyborg) saved Saitama's life once, and them, he returned the favor, as bored as ever.

The second half of the episode focused on something that probably will be the mystery of the season: a crazy scientist that turns people/animals into cyborgs. And of course, he sends his minions after Saitama. Also, after seeing how strong Saitama is, Genos decide to be his apprentice.

More villains, and more fights. The second half presents us with more Saitama and Genos fighting scenes, now against some crazy animal cyborgs. I really loved this fights as they provided great action scenes and laughs.

This episode was even better than the first one, proving that One-Punch Man is on the patch to be one of the best anime of this season.

Rating: 5 stars

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Ep. 1 - Curse

The original Utawarerumono caught my attention when it was released, but, unfortunately, I've never watched it. So, I was really happy to find that not just a new season would be released, but also it'll have a new setting, doesn't requiring me to watch the first series to understand this new one.

When I came to, I realized I was standing in the middle of a vast, snowy plain I knew nothing of. I didn't know how I got there. And to add to that, I couldn't remember anything, not even my name. I stood there, dumbfounded at my absurd situation. But then, as if to spite me further, a gigantic monster suddenly appeared, an insect-like creature that began to bear down on me. I tried desperately to run, but it cornered me into a hopeless situation. It was then that the girl appeared. Her name was Kuon. It was this beautiful girl, who bore an animal's ears and tail, that saved my life.

The first thing you notice is that this anime is BEAUTIFUL. I mean, both scenery and character design are gorgeous, as well as the animation per se. Kuon, the main catgirl character is extremely cute, and her reactions are always great to watch, and both Kuon and Haku have nice personalities. While Kuon is kind of bossy, motherly and seems to have a lot of energy, Haku is weak, whiny and lazy, but clever at the same time. As Kuon said, he's better with jobs that use his mind.

This first episode has a slower pace, giving us newbies time to get familiarized with this world, and to enjoy the amazing scenes. I loved watching Utawarerumono and looks like it'll be one of my top 3 anime of this season (if not the favorite). Kuon is the best girl already, and I'm excited to see how the story will develop.

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Ep. 1 - Curse

Kuon is the best girl already

Rating: 5 stars and 1 bonus heart

Sakurako-san Ep. 1 - The Princess Who Loves Bones

This one was a great surprise to me. Despite being a big fan of mystery books and TV Shows, I usually don't watch anime with detective stories. Maybe I always thought (and some anime reinforced it) that an anime with this kind of story would be just awkward or strange. But Sakurako-san proved me wrong.

Shoutarou Tatewaki, a high schooler living in Asahikawa City, Hokkaido, meets Sakurako Kujou, a bone-loving young lady who has an ability to analyze specimen. Because of meeting her, he has to accompany her to various cases.

Of course, there's a bit of cliche here: a brilliant and 'weird' detective that doesn't like people at all (Sakurako), and a regular person as a sidekick (Tatewaki Shoutarou). But here the detective have a singular personality trait. She REALLY likes bones, like, she's an osteologist and liked bones since she was a kid. Sakurako fancies dead humans to living ones and, at least on this first episode, this makes a difference, instead of just being used to say that the character is a cold-blooded detective.

On the other side, Shoutarou is just a regular guy (for an anime),  and we still don't know how the couple became acquainted. But I think that was left for later.


One thing that I'm still wondering is what'll be the focus of the show. I don't know if it was because this was the first episode, but I loved the different approach to the usual detective/police procedural drama. Here, Sakurako uses her ability to tell that an apparent double-suicide was, in fact, a double homicide, and how she came to that conclusion. But there was no worry about finding who was the killer. It's strange but awesome at the same time, and I hope that Sakurako-san wouldn't fall into the over repeated detective drama formula.

So, if you like mysteries and detective stories and want something different from the usual formula, give Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru (!) a try. Alongside the great story, it has an older protagonist, a nice change from the so common high school scenario, beautiful visuals, and it's a promising anime overall.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Yuru Yuri S1 Ep. 1 - Middle School Debut!

With its first season premiered in Fall 2011 season, Yuru Yuri has earned some loyal fans. Now, with the premiere of the 3rd season, and having the first on my watchlist for some time, I finally decided to give it a try. After all, I need something easy and relaxing to watch during breakfast.

Based on the slice-of-life manga by Namori, Yuru Yuri is an eccentric comedy about a group of girls who spend their spare time drinking tea and fawning over each other, all while completely failing to even notice the supposed main character Akari amongst them.

On this first episode, we get to know the 4 main characters. Akari Akaza (the main character) decides to join the Amusement Club alongside her friends Kyōko Toshinō and Yui Funami. Later on, one of Akari's classmates, Chinatsu Yoshikawa, joins the club too.

The episode follows the group as they try to decide what to do with their time on the Amusement Club. That's because this club doesn't involve any particular activity. So, they end up trying to improve Akari's presence, because as they say, she doesn't have any presence at all, and people barely notice her.

Well... At least she is special.

I enjoyed this episode, and I'll watch the rest of the season, on the days I don't have any anime of the new season to watch. It's relaxing, easy to watch, but also entertaining and fun, having enough bits of comedy to make my day have a good start.

Rating: 4 stars